Best Friends
by ShadowPalace
Summary: Percy is a failing author who can't seem to find inspiration; Annabeth's a graduate school student of architechture. The two meet, friendships are made, and inspiration for Percy's novel is the result. AU
1. Free Lectures

**A/N: Hi! Anyways, here is a new story. It's an AU. I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. **

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Hi. My name is Percy Jackson, and to put it simply, my life currently sucks. I'm a twenty-two year old straight out of college, but with nowhere to go. You see I want to be an author, but my biggest problem? My lack of inspiration, and a shortage of money. But if I had inspiration I might not have to be so bored when I'm not doing my shifts at the bar.

That's where I work, this bar called: _Riptide_. It's this biggish place where there is a bar, some tables, and sometimes we have some performances. It's nice and all, but not the place I want to work for the rest of my life. Plus, I don't think that it would support the rest of my life, I can barley support myself paying half a rent and living alone on ramen noodles and Mac and cheese.

I'm especially lonely because I live alone. Well, technically I share my apartment with my cousin Nico, but he spends most of the year traveling, and only stays when he visits New York. Luckily, he's nice enough to help pay rent regardless, otherwise I might not be able to afford the place I have now.

It's not like I want to spend the rest of my life there or anything, but it's a nice place and all. It has two bedrooms, and a kitchen that is connected to a living room.

So, as you can very well tell, my life kind of sucks, right? Well luckily, it's all about to change.

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It all started the when Grover got sick. He got the swine flu, and therefore wasn't able to come into work, which means that I have to take of his shift and side of the bar.

I was refilling someone's beer when _she _came in. At the time, she wasn't anyone special. Just some girl who I'd never seen before who walked in and decided to sit at the bar instead of a table.

"Can I help you?" I asked as she sat down. She looked especially summery, wearing a blue and white striped short sleeve shirt and jean shorts. She had her hair pulled back into a bun, and sunglasses resting on top of her head.

"Sure," she said, "What should I have?"

"Normally people decide that for themselves," I answered, unsure what to tell her. It's not every day people ask me, the _bartender, _to order for them.

"Well, I've never been here before and since I don't want to order something I hate. Therefore, I would like you, the maker of the drink, to choose for me," she said plainly.

"Fine," I said, still unsure of what to make, "What type of things do you like?"

"Finally," she said, "A good question." So far, this has been the most peculiar conversation I've ever had with someone I've served. It's weird though, I kind of like it, trying to figure out what she wants. It's nice to have a change.

"You still haven't answered my question, what type of things do you like?" I repeated.

"Things that are sour," she said, popping one of the cashew nuts that I put down in front of her into her mouth.

"How about a stole gimlet?" I suggested. She merely shrugged, giving me no help in my quest to give her a perfect drink.

"On the rocks?" I asked, trying to get closer.

"Sure, why not." She said, not sounding too enthusiastic.

"C'mon, you've got to give me _something_. I'm not good at coming up with things out of thin air! If I was, than I wouldn't be having writers block!" I said, tired of playing guessing games.

"What you suggested is fine." She said a bit bitterly, "What were you saying about 'writers block'?"

"Well, you can't quite call it 'writers block' seeing as I haven't written anything yet," I said. I got out the glass and began to make the drink, "but yeah, I want to be a writer, but haven't had any inspiration or ideas, so I spend all my time working here."

"That's tragic," she said. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not, but either way, it didn't make me feel any better about myself.

"Yeah well, what are you going to do?" I replied, and placed the glass down on the counter top.

"Work harder," she said simply, before putting the glass to her lips and sipping, "Wow, this is good."

"Thanks," I said, taking the compliment, "What do you mean 'work harder'. How do you know I'm not already working hard?"

"I can just tell." She said, before taking another sip of her drink.

"How?" I asked, leaning against the counter top. I hoped nobody wanted refills; I'm too engrossed in the conversation to care.

"By the way you shooed it aside so easily. If you really cared about your writing, you would have a much more determined attitude when you talked about it, instead of just pushing it aside like you just did." She said, giving me a quizzical look. I was getting psychoanalyzed for free, and I didn't even have to ask.

"So what makes you think that you have life all figured out?" I asked, I grabbed a dishcloth and began to wipe down the counter top.

"I never said I did, but I do in the business area I do," she said, "I just graduated from Yale last June, and now I'm going to Columbia for a year of graduate school then I'm going to get a job in architecture and do something with the rest of my life."

"So you do have it all figured out then." I said, impressed. She must be hard working, to get into all of those Ivy League collages and still want to work that hard, she must be a genius.

"I guess you could say that." She said, and then began to dig through her purse for money and put some down on the table, "Thanks for the drink," She squinted for a second, "Percy."

She then got up and left the bar. At first, I wondered how she knew my name, and then I remembered I was wearing a nametag. Little did I know, this wasn't the last time I'd ever see her.

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**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed it! Please review, I want to know if you love it, hate, can't decide, or anything. Please let me know! **


	2. Coincidence of a Mail Kind

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**

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"Percy?" Grover asked, patting my shoulder, "You there?" It's been a month since the girl gave me a 'lecture' about my failure in life, and I sill haven't been able to get it off my mind. I think it's because she was _right_.

"Yeah," I replied, "I never left."

He looked at me intensely, like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. I hadn't quite told him about my encounter with the girl back when he was sick, there just really wasn't a need to.

"Your body might not have left," He said. We pushed open the doors of my apartment building, "but your brain sure did."

We were going back to my apartment after work to go order pizza and watch _Casino Royal_ like we often did on Thursday nights.

"Why do you spend so many nights _here_ if you have a girlfriend?" I asked. Grover has a girlfriend named Juniper, and they began going out about two months ago. Somehow, Grover still managed to come over Thursday nights for movies and pizza, and on other random days.

"I've told you," Grover said, sighing, "She's busy on Thursdays. She has her '_Trees in NYC_' organization meeting."

"She's really involved in the environment like you," I said, stopping Grover from pressing the elevator button. I need to get my mail, "isn't she?"

"Yeah," Grover said, "I've told you this before Percy! We met at a 'Plants in Central Park" event. She and I went to plant the same bulb and-" I stopped Grover with my hand, "What?"

All I could do was gesture. Gesture at the girl who was like me, getting her mail. I remember vividly where I saw _this _girl. She was the girl I met at the bar when Grover was sick!

"That's-That's-" I said, desperately searching for words, "I've met her before!"

"Where?" Grover asked, eyes wide, "Wait, why are we talking in a loud whisper?"

"I don't know!" I said, still as quietly as possible, "that's how people talk when they realize they know someone and it's important but you aren't quite sure if you want them to notice you!"

"Thanks for the explanation," Grover said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "but where did you meet her?"

"At the bar." I stated, simply.

"_Riptide_?" Grover asked, surprised, "When, I never met her."

"She came in when you were sick with Swine." I replied, peering past the wall once again.

"Oh," Grover said, a little bit too loudly, causing her to whirl around. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough and she saw my head before I could escape.

"Do I," She said, squinting, "know you?"

"Uh…" I said, smartly. I didn't want to admit that I had met her before, but I didn't really want to lie either, "You do look familiar."

"You do too," She said, deep in thought, "Oh, I met you at that bar!" Her eyes opened wide when she realized it.

"Oh, right!" I said, pretending like I just realized this, "And you psychoanalyzed my entire life!" I walked over to my mailbox and slid in the key.

"Right," she said, looking down, "Sorry 'bout that." She didn't seem _too _sorry, but it looked like she still felt bad.

"Nah. Don't worry about it, I probably could use some critique on my life once and a while. Plus, it's nice to hear it from someone other than my mom." I said, taking the mail out from the tiny box. Sadly, most of it looks like bills.

"Do you live here, or something?" I asked, pretending to flip through my mail.

"Yeah, yesterday." She said, looking back towards the hallway.

"What's your name?" I asked, "I didn't quite find out when we met…"

"Annabeth." She said, "Annabeth Chase. Your first name is Percy, right?"

"Yup," I said, "Percy Jackson. If you want, you could come over for pizza and a movie at my place. My friend Grover is here and I'm sure he wouldn't mind…"

"Sounds nice," she said, gathering _her_ mail, "but I'm going to have to take a rain check. I still have a ton to unpack."

"Maybe some other time then." I suggested. I didn't actually know that many people in my building.

"Sure. Bye Percy Jackson." She said, before hurrying off into the stairwell carrying her mail,

"Well, that was…" Grover said, patting me on the back.

"Ineffective?" I suggested, sadly. It wasn't like I was trying to make a move on her or anything like that, something about her just drew me. I felt compelled to her, like she was the beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel.

"I was going for interesting," Grover said, walking into the elevator, "but yours works too."

"Thanks." I muttered as the doors met and closed.

***

I know it's 2 AM and I probably should be sleeping and not staring at my laptop, but for the first time since _college _I've been inspired. Sadly enough, I don't quite have a plot yet… but I do have a character:

_Annabel Chance: Smart, determined, distant, blonde, has grey eyes. _

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**A/N: I know that this chapter is a bit short. I just currently have finals and therefore have less time to write. Please review! **


	3. Electricity is Out

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Every single one really means a lot.**

**So, I need to do a quick dedication. Abbie (WindowChild), is not only my totally fabulous friend who I spend practically all my time writing, laughing, and hanging out with (practically my alter-ego), but she is also my beta for half of the stuff I write. This along with many other reasons is why I really needed to give a shout out to her. "What's this?" **

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_CRACK!_

Damn lightning! Its stupid electrical power making all of the power in the lower west side shut off. Isn't there some egotistical god who's supposed to be in charge of the lightning again? Oh right, Zeus! _Hey Zeus, could you please stop, I want the air conditioning back!_

I would use my cell phone to call Grover or someone, but you aren't supposed to use cell phones in a power outage. Stupid electrocution!

You know what, I should go light some candles so I'm _not _staring blankly at the lifeless TV hoping a miracle would happen and theYankee game would turn back on.

Damn! Why does everything bad seem to happen at once? First the power goes off and I begin missing the Yankees vs. Red Sox game, then I realize too late that I'm out candles. This is just great.

I guess one of my neighbors_ has_ to have candles. Uh, I don't really want to have to search one out. After all, it's 11 PM on a hot, humid, night in late August. Actually, to be exact, today is August 18th, my 23rd birthday. Can you sense the excitement?

They really need a generator or something in this hallway. I mean, how am I supposed to ask a neighbor for a candle if I can't even see their door?

Finally! A door! Now, how far this is from my door, I am not quite sure. But, for now, this is good enough.

_Knock_

"Coming!" A female voice called, I couldn't be too close to my apartment, and this wasn't one of my right next-door neighbors.

"Hello, I'm out-" I stopped the second I saw who was at the door. It was none other than Annabeth Chase. Her AC must have been off too, considering she was wearing shorts, a tank top, and still looked like she was sweating profusely.

"Hi," She said, leaning against the side of the door, holding a candle right below her face, "Percy Jackson."

"Good evening," I said, "Annabeth Chase. By any chance, do you have some extra candles because I'm out and…"

"Why should I give you some?" She asked, grey eyes flickering, "I mean, isn't it _your _fault that you don't have any candles?"

"Because its my birthday?" I suggested.

"Fine." She said, walking back into her apartment, "normally, I'd send you back, but considering the fact that it's your birthday and you are out of candles, you can stay here because I don't have enough candles to give away."

"Thanks," I said, walking in. Her apartment looked similar to mine. Yet, even with half unpacked boxes here and there, his apartment managed to look 50% better than mine in the neatness area.

"Sit down, it's not like we have anything else to do here in this fucking darkness." She said, collapsing onto one of her chairs. I sat on the chair across from hers.

"Finally," I said, "Someone else shares my hatred of power outages. It really was the cherry on top of a perfect birthday."

"Why?" She asked, "I mean, what was wrong with your birthday?"

"When it's your 23rd birthday and you're wondering if you'll be able to make ends meet for the next year of your life, it's really just fantastic."

"Ah," She said, taking a sip of whatever drink she had, "That truly sounds wonderful. I don't quite understand what you're complaining about."

We sat silence for a while. Well, if you call silence the sound of thunder every two minutes, followed by lightning, and non-stop wind and rain. Yeah, it's real quiet.

"Wait," I said, a thought popping into my head, "why are you so upset? It's not like today is your celebration of failure."

She scoffed, "I can't finish my architecture project. We have to have it before school begins and I wanted to finish it tonight, but I clearly can't in the dark." She pulled her legs to her chest, and sat like a little ball in the chair.

"When does school start? Tomorrow?" I asked, almost feeling sympathetic for her.

"No, in two weeks." She scrunched her face in distaste.

"Then what's the rush?" I asked, "I mean, wouldn't it be good. This is a reason why you can stop. Why are you doing it already anyways? I wouldn't start until maybe mid next week if I had the time you have…"

"Exactly, Percy." She said, "This is why you are failing and complaining about your birthday and life, and I'm not worried about any of this stuff. You wait until the last minute, and hope that everything will work out okay. I, on the other hand, do things way ahead of time to prevent exactly what you live to do."

"This is where we disagree," I said, "sometimes you get better ideas later. So if I already did it, then I can't use my new idea, and then maybe I would get a lower grade." I ran my hand through my hair; it must look like an absolute mess.

"If I get a new better idea I'd just do it over. It's as simple as that." She said, getting up, "Want some lemonade? I'm getting more for myself and I forgot to ask if you wanted any earlier."

"Sure." I answered, and followed her into her kitchen.

Her kitchen was similar to mine, but a little larger and more cluttered. It was hard to tell by candlelight, but stuff seemed to be all over the place. Between various papers, food (half of which was take out), and other things that were hard to make out (it kind of looked like various rulers, which seems a bit odd, but hey, I'm not here to judge).

She began to search through cupboards for an empty class. Once she found one, she began to pour the lemonade into the cup.

"Here you go," she handed it to me, "I made it earlier today. Sorry if it's sour, I tend to like things that taste more tart."

"Figures." I mumbled to myself, once she was out of ear reach.

"Hey, this isn't bad." I said, after I took a sip.

"You sound surprised." She said, taking a sip of her newly refilled drink.

"You just don't really seem like the type of person who would be good at making lemonade." I commented, taking another sip.

"You don't even know me. How can you judge?" She asked, lighting a match.

"Well, I from the three times that I've met you, you never gave off a 'good at making lemonade' aura. I'm sorry." I said, sarcastically.

I could see her roll her eyes through the candlelight reflecting off her face. Her expression looked stress, a bit angry, but also happy. Like she was enjoying company, but that could just be me making things up.

"Do you hear that?" She said, responding to the large thumping sound.

"Yeah," I said, joking, "It sounds like Justin and his girlfriend Lauren on Valentines day."

"You mean everyday." She corrected. It was true. Every time I saw Justin, I saw his girlfriend Lauren with him, making out. And it really didn't help that he is my next-door neighbor.

"Aw," I said, "It's not _that _bad."

"Are you kidding?" She asked, her eyes opening wide, "I think it's disgusting."

"It can be." I agreed.

"Seriously," she said, "I really prefer to not have the first thing I see in the morning be her tong down his throat. It's not a good way to begin the day."

"They're never out when I leave." I said, truthfully.

"Maybe that's because you sleep in too late. Maybe if you got up earlier, you'd see them right outside your very door making out."

"Another reason why to sleep in."

"For the first time tonight, you have a point."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Then we just sat there, staring at each other for a while. It felt weird, like I couldn't take my eyes off her. I'm not sure, but it feels like she felt the same thing, because she continued to stare into my eyes the whole time too.

Then suddenly, there was a flickering, and the lights turned back on.

"Thank God," Annabeth said, getting up, "the lights are back!"

"Finally," I commented, "Back to the Yankee game."

Sadly, good things don't last too long, because I then knocked my lemonade over and it fell onto the table, covering some magazines in clear, yellow liquid.

"Sorry!" I said quickly, grabbing the glass and lifting it off the table, "should I bring this to the kitchen?"

"What do you think?" She said, a bi angrily, "while you're there, could you grab some paper towels?"

"Yeah, of course." I ran into the kitchen. It was just as crowded and cluttered as it was in the dark, but now you could what everything was.

I grabbed a whole bunch of paper towels and ran back into her living room with them.

She was kneeling against the table trying to move papers out of the way of the liquid.

"Here!" I said, throwing her the paper towels. She caught them, and began to mop of the counter top.

I brought the trashcan to her, so she could throw the wet paper towels into the trash and not have to carry them across her apartment.

Once the mess was cleaned and therefore no longer a problem, I said, "I guess I'll be going now."

"Yeah," She said, walking me over to the door.

"So," I said, lingering by the door just a little, "I guess I'll see you around."

"Well, you are my neighbor after all."

"It's inevitable."

"True." She said, "Bye Percy."

"Goodnight Annabeth."

I turned around and began to walk back to my apartment, but I suddenly felt a finger on my shoulder.

"Happy Birthday, Percy," She said, I swirled around.

I couldn't help but notice how close her face was to mine, "It's not actually my birthday anymore, it's past midnight."

"I guess." She said, and then she backed up, "See you later."

She shut the door, leaving me by myself, in the hallway. Only hearing the sound of the rain and the thumping from Justin's apartment. Oh geese.

***

Once again, I know this isn't good to be writing really late at night, but I can't help my self. Still no plot, but I'm feeling much, much closer to one. Plus, I've got another character!

_Patrick Johnson: Stupid, determined, black hair, green eyes. _

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**I hope you liked it! Please review; it would really make my day! **


	4. Family Love

**Hey, so I'm back from my vacation to France and I'm temporarily cured for my case of one-shot-itus, so by request I'm updating this one first of my chapter stories. **

**Also, I've decided that I will be dedicating every chapter of this story to someone (the whole 'best friends' theme inspired me).**

**This chapter's dedication goes to Jordan, who was actually the one who requested that I update this story first. She also has supported my writing for a while now by making a point to review and favorite everything I write. She also sends me numerous hilarious PM's when I'm in France telling me just how bored she is. Thanks so much Jordan, it really means a lot and I greatly appreciate it all! **

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"Percy," my cousin, Thalia said, sighing, "Your place would be so nice if you would just clean it up every once and a while."

"I _could_ do that," I replied, "But then I would be exerting energy that I wouldn't have to be using otherwise."

"You don't exercise enough." Thalia decided.

"Uh, yes I do. I go to the gym."

"And when was the last time you went?"

"About two weeks ago," I said. She began to smirk, like her point was just proven, "But that is besides the point. I've been really busy lately." I said, crossing my arms.

Thalia grabbed her sweater that was previously lying on the couch and began to pull it on. We were going out to lunch together. She was in town for a Green Day concert, and decided to visit me in the process. She normally lives in Washington DC with her boyfriend (who I'm not particularly fond of), Luke.

"With what, pouring beer?" she asked, putting on her sunglasses.

"No," I replied, dragging out the 'o' sound in 'no', "Actually, I've been writing."

"Really? What's the plot?" she asked, amazed. For the first time in the past five minutes, she wasn't mocking me about my lack of success in the life department.

"I don't quite have one yet," I admitted, "I've been working on building the characters."

"Uh huh. I'll believe it when I see it."

"You do that. When I'm totally famous, I'll just point and laugh." I defended, "Speaking of success, how has the botany thing been going? Find any new trees lately?"

From when Thalia was about 14 to around when she turned 16, she began to have a newfound obsession with trees. One time the family joked that she turned _into_ a tree after she didn't come to dinner at one of our summer family barbecues. Today, she's been working for one of the botanical gardens there, studying different species of trees.

"Fine." she grumbled. While we loved each other (like the family we are), we always managed to bicker about one thing or another. "Oh wait, I have to go and grab my purse."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the hallway." I walked out the door, just as another door down the hall slammed shut. It was none other than Annabeth.

"Uh," I said, unsure of what I should say at first, "Hey, Annabeth."

"Hi Percy, what's up?" She asked, locking her door. This was the first time that I'd ever exited my apartment at the same time she did. She was carrying a messenger bag, inside was god knows what (book worms seem to carry _so _much).

"The ceiling?" I suggested. I always used to play this game with my friends back in middle school, thinking of new, creative ways to answer the boring old question.

"Very funny." she said, sarcastically.

"Okay, Percy, I found my bag. Why again do I carry such a large bag? It's been getting _so _heavy." Thalia said, walking out of the apartment. The second she saw Annabeth; she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Annabeth?" Thalia asked, after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"Thalia?" Annabeth returned, thus making everything so much more complicated for my brain.

"Wait, what's going on here?" I asked, genuinely lost in a sea of confusion.

"We know each other." Thalia explained.

"From _where_?" I asked, incredulously, "You're my neighbor," I gestured towards Annabeth, "And you're my cousin." this time I gestured towards Thalia, "How on earth do you two know each other?"

"Remember three years ago, the first time I went to Luke's hometown?" Thalia asked.

"I think." I answered, trying to think back to a better time and place in my life. My cousins and I were in college and it was all paid for. Ah, the good years.

"Well, anyway, Luke said that his best friend from when he was growing up was in town from college, and we went to visit her. That person was none other than Annabeth."

Annabeth merely nodded in agreement throughout the whole explanation. "Wait, let me get this correct. So you two knew each other for three years before you ever met me?" I asked, this time to Annabeth specifically.

"I guess, but we haven't talked in, like, two years," she replied, "Anyways, it's was nice seeing you Thalia! We really need to catch up some point soon; it's been way too long. I'll call you soon. This would be the time when I get out of your guys' hair and leave you to have a nice lunch." she began to walk off, but Thalia stopped her.

"Join us for lunch." Thalia demanded; she always had a way of doing that. Sometimes it annoyed and embarrassed me, but this was Annabeth. I've been embarrassed in front of her enough times by now not to care.

"I have to be somewhere." Annabeth said, trying to duck past Thalia. She just always seemed to be in the way.

"I'm only in town for a short while, and we haven't seen or heard from each other in two years. Would you please join us for lunch?" Thalia begged, again.

"I really can't…." Annabeth said, still trying to move past Thalia without pushing her.

"C'mon, it can be quick. Besides, I need you to save me from _him_." I just love how she puts major emphasis on the word '_him_'.

Annabeth 's face melted into a grin, "Fine, but only because you'll need to be saved or protected from him. He has a tendency to spill drinks." She shot me a glare.

"I'm right here, you know." I said, "And that was only once!"

"Yeah, and what's your point?" Thalia asked, putting arm around Annabeth's shoulder and leading her off down _my_ hallway.

Enter head desk here.

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**I'm sorry that this chapter was on the shorter side, guys. I promise the next one will be longer; it's when they all go to lunch! Hilarity is promised. Please review, it means a lot! **


	5. 1 Ex, 3 Cookies, and Green Dumplings

**Hi! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long, it's just that I've been at camp up until a week ago, and I've been slow at updating. Once again, I'm so sorry. **

**Disclaimer: Ollie's is an actual restaurant in the city. **

**So, the dedication for this chapter goes to my real life best friend Summer. And although she doesn't go on fan fiction and therefore will never read this dedication (she doesn't write, she draws and does some photography), I still want to dedicate a chapter to her. She's been my friend since we were 3 ½ and my best friend for almost as long. So, snaps for Summer! **

**Now, I'll continue with the story! I hope that you enjoy the chapter! **

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Thalia hailed a cab quickly, and we all squeezed into it. As luck would have it, I got the seat in the middle – squished in between Annabeth and Thalia (who thought now would be a good opportunity to lean over me to talk to Annabeth).

"Wait, what restaurant are we going to?" I asked, interrupting their conversation about how there are so many trees in New York, and how their leaf color is slightly different in Central Park then in the trees spread across the city.

"Ollie's." Thalia replied, finally leaning back in _her_ seat.

"Oh," I said, "That's good. I love their green dumplings." Ollie's is a Chinese restaurant, and Chinese food is hands down the best type of food.

"Green dumplings?" Annabeth asked, looking at me strangely.

"Vegetable dumplings. They are the color green, but they taste great!" I replied, licking my lips. To come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I had those dumplings.

"Oh," Annabeth said, "That makes sense."

"Have you ever been there before?" Thalia asked. I could tell that she needed to find a way to weasel herself into any conversation. Thalia always acted like she _needed_ to be in the conversation.

I remember last Christmas when the entire family was together; Nico was talking to me about how he hadn't been laid for three months, and Thalia found a way to join our conversation and change it so we were talking about how the price for a comfortable mattress had really gone up over the past two years.

"I think once," Annabeth replied, "But I only had chicken and rice, no appetizers."

About five minutes later, the cab pulled up to the curb and we all got out. It felt nice to stand up, and finally have the ability to move my arms and legs.

I began to follow Thalia and Annabeth to the restaurant's entrance. Right before we entered the restaurant, Annabeth softly said to me, "She really hasn't changed one bit since last time I saw her."

"Yeah," I replied, holding the door open for her, "She hasn't changed much at all since she was little."

"I can see that," she said. We came right behind Thalia, who was waiting in line to talk to the women who was holding a large pile of menus.

"A table for three." Thalia said, once we reached the front of the line.

The women stared at what looked like a table chart, and then said, "Please follow me, right this way," she said, and led us off towards the back of the restaurant, "Right here," she began putting menus around the table.

"Excuse me," Annabeth said, "Is it possible to switch to another table that isn't in this room?" She seemed to be hiding behind me, and only peering behind my shoulder every so often.

"No, I'm very sorry miss," the women said, gesturing to the table, "But we're quite busy today, and this is the only table for three left."

"Oh, okay," Annabeth said. She began to scoot across the booth so she was right up against the wall, "I guess this is fine, then."

Once the waitress walked off, I was about to sit on the seat across from Annabeth, when her hand caught my wrist, "Sit next to me, you're larger than Thalia."

"Uh, okay," I said, sliding in next to Annabeth, "What's wrong?"

She looked across the room at a booth on the other side of the room, "My ex boyfriend is here, and he's here with a _girl_."

"Aw, sorry," Thalia said, looking across the room at the guy.

"Couldn't that be his sister or something?" I asked. She didn't quite look like his sister, but I was trying to be helpful.

Annabeth slapped my arm, "He only has a twin brother. Besides, I dated him for a year, you'd think I would know if he had a sister. And even if he did, I would know what she looked like."

"True," I said, feeling stupid, "Oh, that could be his twin!" Trying once again to be helpful.

Instead, she shot me a glare, "Right, you dated for a year and would know the difference between him and his twin." I said, thinking out loud.

"Yes, o brilliant one! You finally figured out what the large problem is!" She said, "Plus, it only took you five minutes!"

"Very funny," I said, "There is no need for sarcasm here."

"There is always a need for sarcasm," she said, smiling.

"Wait, who is this guy? He looks oddly familiar," Thalia said, stretching out her neck so she could see him better.

"His name is Connor Stoll, and he probably looks familiar because he's Luke's second cousin," Annabeth explained, taking a sip of water, "When we were younger, his family visited Luke's every so often and we almost instantly became friends. And then it ended up that he was going to the same college as me, and we got together from there," she began opening her packet of chop sticks, like she was using it as a method of distraction from looking at him, "And Percy, could you please wrap your arm around my shoulder convincingly because he's looking." She mumbled the last part, making it difficult for me to understand.

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. Everything was happening so fast, I couldn't quite keep up.

"Your arm goes around my shoulder, _now_." Annabeth said, looking down at the table.

"Oh, okay." I said, as I tentatively wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Annabeth's body was shaking (probably with nervousness), and she was very cold. I silently hoped that I was warming her up.

"You two make a very cute couple." Thalia said, digging through her purse.

Annabeth and I looked at each other, the same expression on our faces, _We do? No, that's not possible. _

"Uh, thanks, but I doubt it," I said, "Thalia, what on earth are you looking for?"

"It's a surprise," she said, still focused on the inside of her purse.

"Well, I don't like surprises all that much," I said, using my free hand to smack Thalia's, to get her attention, "Could you please do me a favor and tell me what you're looking for?"

"Ah, found it!" she announced, jolting upwards, "Smile, guys!"

"What-" Annabeth began, but was cut off by a large flash and the sound of a _click. _

"That picture will be uploaded to Facebook once I get back and have time to use my laptop. You can get it from there." Thalia said, returning her small camera back to her purse.

"You will delete that picture now." I said, trying to grab her purse with my free hand. Sadly, she had it well hidden. Trying to delete that picture is now a lost cause.

"You guys both look fine, don't worry!" Thalia assured, while she picked up the menu and began to flip through it.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Annabeth said, as she looked over at Connor Stoll walking straight towards us. The flash of the camera must have made him notice us, which really wasn't a good thing.

"Annabeth!" he said, once he arrived at the table, "Wow, it's been so long! How are you? You look good."

"Connor," she said, smiling nervously, "I've been good, how are you?"

"Great!" He exclaimed. He then turned around, and gestured towards the girl who was still sitting at the table to come over, "I would you like to meet my girlfriend, Hailey."

"Hi," our entire table said, in unison.

"Hello," she said, waving.

"Hailey, I would like to meet a few people. This is my… friend, Annabeth. And across from her is my cousin's girlfriend, Thalia. And this is…" he said, pointing to me.

"My boyfriend, Percy," Annabeth said, leaning into my shoulder blade.

"Oh, nice to meet you." Connor said, shaking my free hand.

"Nice to meet you, too." I replied. He had a firm grip, which Annabeth probably liked. She seemed to like 'more professional' people.

"Well, we should probably get going," Connor said, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder, like mine was around Annabeth's, "We have tickets to go and see a movie. "

"Have fun!" Annabeth said, dryly. She was coming off sounding a bit forced, but he didn't seem to notice.

They merely waved, and then walked out of sight. Once she was sure that they had left the restaurant, Annabeth wiggled out of my grasp, "Thanks for that, you were great."

"Thanks, and you're welcome, it was no problem." The truth was, I forgot that my arm was around her shoulder. It just felt so… comfortable resting there.

The waitress walked over, and took our orders. Our food came shortly, and as it turned out, the green dumplings were a big hit.

"Can we please have a check?" Thalia asked, once the waiter was clearing the table.

He nodded, and took off with our plates. A few minutes later, he returned with our check (which we split three ways), and three fortune cookies.

Thalia was the first crack open hers, "Okay, let's see what I got here," she said, as she began to chew half of her cookie, "It says, 'A woman who seeks to be equal with men lacks ambition.'"

"That fits you, Thalia." I said, laughing.

"I don't think that I like this one all that much," she said, burying it into her purse, "If you find mine so funny, Percy, what did you get then?"

"Well, let's see!" I said, cracking my cookie in half, "Here, 'The days you work are the best days.' Aw, crap."

"If only you'd listen to it," Annabeth said, shaking her head and laughing.

I rolled my eyes, "I try to. It's not true, though. My favorite days are the ones where I sit and watch the TV."

"You're pathetic. And, yes it is. You just don't have a good work ethic," she said, "Okay, now let's see what I got, 'The one you love is closer than you think.'"

"Ooh," Thalia said, "Maybe it means you still love Connor."

"I doubt it," Annabeth said, looking intensely down at the fortune cookie, "These things are stupid."

"How come they weren't 'stupid' when I got mine?" I asked, as I got out of the booth.

"Because yours fits you," she said, "Mine, on the other hand, doesn't."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I just- just, I just know." She said, following me out of the booth, "Well, I really should head out. I'm running slightly late. Lunch was great and it was nice catching up, Thalia."

"Now that you and Percy are neighbors, I'm sure I'll be seeing you more often." Thalia said, giving Annabeth a hug.

"Definitely," Annabeth said, as she held open the door, "See you around, Percy."

"Yeah, see you around." I replied, as she began to head down the sidewalk.

"You guys do look cute together, you know." Thalia said, once Annabeth was out of sight.

"Please, could you stop with that? It's not true." I said, as Thalia hailed another cab.

"We'll have to wait and see," she said, stepping into the cab, "C'mon, Percy, let's go. I have to leave soon." I hurried and followed her into the cab. This time, it wasn't nearly as tight. Thank god.

***

Ah, I have another character. They really seem to be coming at the most random of times. I really wish they would come when I want them to. It would really make my already difficult life, easier.

_Thea Green: Annoying, loud, chatty, and intense. Is Patrick's cousin. _

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**Thanks for reading! Please review, they are greatly appreciated! **


	6. The Two Purposes of the Library

Do you know what? My computer is stupid – very, stupid, for that matter. It takes about 3 minutes for the Internet to load. Which, in my opinion, is about 358 seconds too long.

After sitting, staring at my computer beach balling for another minute and 43 seconds, it finally loads onto Facebook – which tells me that I have 6 alerts.

One is from my mom, who wrote on my wall asking me if I could baby-sit my twin half-brother and sister on Tuesday because her and Paul were going to a function at my Alma matter, Goode High.

Another three were people commenting on my status of "_Olives are for proper people" _(let's just say I was bored when I wrote that)_. _The first one was from Annabeth, who said that it was a stupid comment and that olives are for _wise_ people because of the Ancient Greek Myth with Athena and the city of Athens – so this comment proved that I was being stupid, as per usual.

The second one was from Grover, who said that he thought that olives were a neutral vegetable. And since it was a part of nature, it should be shared with everyone.

Then, the third was from Annabeth again, who said that Grover was right and olives meant nothing and that I was being stereotypical (which, I'm not going to lie, was true).

Another alert was a friend from college who was commenting on this old picture of us back in our sophomore year being Harry Potter characters (I was Harry, because I fit the description of black hair and green eyes and he was Ron despite the fact that he looked absolutely nothing like him) on Halloween. I remember that night vividly – I made out with this really cute girl who happened to be dressed up as Ginny.

The last alert that I received was from Thalia, who had finally gotten around to uploading the photo she had taken from Ollie's a week ago and tagged Annabeth and I in it.

Surprisingly, Thalia was right and Annabeth and I didn't look that bad. Annabeth's smile was small, while mine was large and goofy – but it seemed to fit the picture. They balanced each other out.

After replying to all of the alerts I had received, I decided to call Annabeth to tell her about the picture out of sheer boredom.

"Hello?" she said, picking up after three rings.

"Hi, Annabeth?" I said, hoping I got the right number.

"Yeah," she said, slowly, "Who is this?

"It's Percy."

"_Percy? _Where did you get my number?" she asked, "I don't remember giving it to you."

"Facebook," I replied, spinning around in my swivel chair (I swear, that was the best investment I ever made).

"Oh right, I forgot that I put my cell number on my profile," she said. It sounded like she was biting down on something – probably a pencil, "So, what's up?"

"Thalia posted the picture of us on Facebook," I said, drumming my fingers on the arm of my chair, "You know, the one from when we all went to Ollie's."

"I remember," she said, sighing, "But you really had to interrupt my train of thought just to tell me that? You really couldn't wait an hour until I got home and could comment on it, could you?"

"No, I couldn't." I said, "Plus, how am I supposed to know that you were coming home in an hour, for all I know, you could be coming home in 5 hours?"

"You can be so stupid sometimes," she said. I could _see _her rolling her eyes, "Let me guess, you were bored and had nothing else better to do with yourself so you called me, hoping that I'd give you something to do?"

Damn, she's spot on, "Uh… well," I said, trying to come up with something quickly, "Not exactly, because you see-"

"I'll meet you in an hour at that new sushi restaurant that opened two blocks over," she said, cutting me off, "Be there on time, or else."

"Wait," I said, trying to process this, "_What?_"

"I'm going to meet you for lunch in an hour, so put your pants on and get out the door!"

"I already have my pants on!" I argued.

"Then put your shirt on," she said, before adding, "See you in an hour, Percy." I could hear her shut her phone thus ending the connection.

How is that girl always right?

***

When I walked into the restaurant (two minutes early, by the way), I immediately spotted Annabeth sitting in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. She was dressed in jeans and a long sleeve white shirt, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She didn't notice me walk in, due to the fact she had her head stuck in the center of a book.

"Annabeth?" I said, standing over her, "Guess what, I'm two minutes early!"

She glanced down at her watch. "Good job, Percy," she said, sarcastically, before looking up briefly and then returning to her book to fold the corner of her page.

"Where were you when I called?" I asked, scooting in the seat across from her, "It sounded like you were whispering."

"The library," she said, putting down her book and picking up her menu.

"They let you use cell phones in that place?" I asked, "Things must have changed since the last time I was there."

"No, you still aren't allowed to use cells in the library. However, I happened to be in one of the least popular sections in the entire library, so no one was there to see or hear me," she said, "And just out of curiosity, when _was_ the last time that you visited the library?"

"You don't want to know," I said, looking down at the menu, "Hmm…. The cucumber avocado roll seems good."

"Nice try, but don't change the subject," she said, pulling down on my menu – thus exposing my face from behind my tall menu, "But yes, those do sound good."

"It was in senior year of college, alright?"

"Uh huh. But when was the last time you were there for books and not to make out in the paleontology section?"

I paused, thinking about exactly what to say. "Fine – junior year. How did you know _that_?" I asked, incredulously. It's like she has some stupid book in that library of hers that tells her every single quality, habit, and fact about me.

"Oh please," she said, whacking me in the head with her menu, "All students have made out in the paleontology section – it's one of those things that all students do at one point or another during college – just _some _people do it more frequently than others."

"It is the best section – I mean, who really wants to read a ton of scientific facts about dinosaur bones?" I said, remembering the times I was in there – ah, good times, "Wait a second; you said _all_ students – does that mean, _you_ - _Wise Girl_, made out with a fellow in there _too_?"

"Just once – but I was there to get a book too, unlike people like you. I just got confronted by and cute guy when I was grabbing a book about I.M. Pei and the architecture of the pyramids at the Louvre and…" she said, stopping herself, "Where did _Wise Girl_ come from? What type of nickname is that?"

"One I created just for you, because you're all smart and always try to outsmart me. It fits, doesn't it?" I said.

"I guess-" she started, but then the waiter approached and asked to take our orders.

***

"Can I have those last two?" I asked, pointing to Annabeth's last two California rolls with one of my chopsticks.

"Sure, take 'em," she said, pushing her plate towards me before sliding back in her seat, "I'm stuffed. How do you eat this much?"

"It takes skill," I joked, plopping one of the two in my mouth, "It helps that I happen to love sushi, though."

"You've had so much," she began, "Thinking about how much you ate makes me sick. You must have seaweed or something lodged into that brain of yours making you stupid half the time."

"I do eat sushi a lot." I said, nodding.

"That must be why you're so slow – you've got tons of seaweed stuck up there!"

"Are you calling me a Seaweed Brain?" I asked.

"That's exactly what I'm calling you."

"Fine by me, Wise Girl."

"Good. Let's get the check, Seaweed Brain."

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**Kudos to those of you who got the _Friends_ reference! Please review; I really would like to hear your thoughts on this chapter! **


	7. Double Dining

"Stop!" I yelled, leaping up from the coach, "Don't touch that!" I snatched my signed baseball from my half-brother, Reilly. My mom and her husband, Paul, were going to some wine tasting event, and left their kids under my care. Don't worry, I love babysitting the little monsters, but they can be a bit much (especially since they're five year-old twins).

"Percy?" Reilly's twin, Halley, asked, "When are we going to dinner?"

I sat back down on the coach, and put my feet up on my brown coffee table, "As soon as this episode is over."

"Can I watch too?" Halley asked, scooting next to me on the couch.

"Sure, but I think you'll find it boring." I said. I was watching some replays of yesterday's baseball game. I missed it due to my shift at work.

"No, I won't." Halley said, resting her head on my lap.

"I want to watch too!" Reily exclaimed, joining his twin on my lap.

We watched in peace for about a grand total of five minutes, before the two of them began to moan, "I'm bored. Can we stop, Percy, please?" in chorus. Eventually, I gave in and turned of the TV halfway through the program.

"Let me go find my wallet," I said, searching the tabletops for any trace of my black wallet. After searching around for ten minutes, I realized that I might have left my wallet at Annabeth's. I went over there yesterday to watch a movie.

"Hold on," I told them, "I'll be back in two seconds." There wasn't any response. The two of them just continued to play leap--frog on my bed. I couldn't tell if they actually couldn't hear me or were just trying to act like they didn't, so I just walked over next door anyway.

"Hello," I said, knocking on Annabeth's door, "Annabeth? It's Percy,"

"Hold on a sec!" she called. Two seconds later, the door opened and revealed Annabeth holding my wallet, "Hi, were you looking for this?"

"Yeah," I said, taking my wallet back, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said, squinting her eyes at me, "You should keep better watch of that. One day someone will steal it."

"Yeah, I-"

Suddenly, there was a tug on my leg. I looked down, and found Halley hugging my leg, "Percy?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Who's this?" she asked, pointing a small finger at Annabeth.

"Oh, this is my friend Annabeth," I explained, lifting her into my arms, "She found my wallet for me."

"Oh…" she said, seeming to think it over, "Is she coming to dinner with us?"

"Well, she wasn't supposed to," I said, looking over at Annabeth, "But we can invite her if you'd like. How about it?" Halley nodded in agreement, "So Annabeth, will you like to come to dinner with us?"

"Uh… sure," she agreed, smiling at Halley, "Let me just go grab my stuff."

"Yay!" Halley squealed, running back into my apartment.

"Thanks," I said, "For, uh, coming with us. You didn't have to agree."

"Oh, it was pleasure," she said, grabbing her bag off of her table, "But who is she?"

"They." I replied, "It's my twin half-sister and brother. I have to baby-sit them while my mom and her husband are at an event."

"Oh, I see," she said, walking with me into my apartment. The two of them had now begun a game of tag and were scurrying across the rooms. Annabeth chuckled, "They remind me of my twin half-brothers."

"Or they this… energetic?"

"Oh, yes."

"C'mon," I said, grabbing Reily by the hand, "Let's go to dinner."

"Who's that?" Reily asked, brushing the hair out of his eyes with his free hand.

"This is my friend, Annabeth. Say 'hi', guys." I told them.

"Hi Annabeth," they said simultaneously.

"Annabeth," I said, gesturing to the twins, "This is Reily and Halley."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Annabeth said, bending down to their height, "How old are you guys?" Annabeth seemed even to be good with kids. How is it possible that she is good at _everything_? New goal: find out Annabeth's weakness.

"Five," Halley said, proudly, "How old are you?"

"Oh… it doesn't really matter," Annabeth said, following everyone into the elevator.

"Percy's old," Reily announced, pressing the 'ground button', "He's twenty-three. Are you older then Percy?"

"No," Annabeth said, smirking at me, "I'm not." She's not older then me by what? Three months? C'mon, this is _so _not fair.

"Well," I said, herding everyone out of the elevator, "Mom and dad are even older. They're in they're forties and fifties."

The two of them gasped, shocked. They really have so much to learn…

"Where are we going?" Annabeth asked.

"Noodles!" Halley cheered.

"Yeah, noodles!" Reily agreed.

"Noodles it is!" I said, making sure that Reily and Halley were holding hands before taking Halley's right hand.

We walked two blocks before Halley spoke up, "If we have to hold hands, then why aren't you holding Annabeth's?"

"Sorry, I forgot." I said, taking Annabeth's hand. It was slightly sweaty, but warm. It almost felt nice. Almost.

After walking another few blocks, Annabeth leaned over and whispered in my ear, "What's Noodles?"

"You'll have to wait and see." I said, sticking out my tongue. Yes, I know it's immature. But I just _had _to.

***

'Noodles' is actually just a diner that happens to serve great noodle dishes. I once took the kids here for dinner, and ever since the time they had 'the best spaghetti ever' this place has been referred to as 'Noodles'.

That's what I had to explain to Annabeth when she looked absolutely confused at what place we were going to for dinner.

"I want spaghetti!" Reily said, pounding his fists on the table.

"Me too!" chimed Halley.

"Me three," I said, looking over at Annabeth.

"Me four?" she said, unsurely.

A few seconds later, a waiter came over with four glasses of water and asked to take our order.

"Four orders of spaghetti with tomato sauce," I told the waiter, "Please."

"That's easy," he said, and then hurried off to put our orders in.

"Do you like it here?" Halley asked Annabeth.

"Well, I don't know yet," Annabeth, said, looking around the restaurant with an inspecting look, "I've never eaten here before."

"I'm sure you'll _love _it here," Halley assured her.

"Yeah," Reily added, "It's our favorite restaurant. Ever."

***

"You're right," Annabeth said, pushing her dish forward, "That were some pretty great noodles."

"Uh huh," Halley said, "Percy, can we have dessert?"

"Next time," I said, rubbing her shoulders. Halley was the type to never finish her food, but always want more to eat.

"Fine," she said, looking away.

"Can we have the check?" I asked the waiter as he zoomed by. He nodded, and then continued on his way.

"I'll pay for my dish," Annabeth offered, pulling out her wallet.

"No, it's on me," I said, patting her arm, "It's nice of you to join us tonight."

"It was my pleasure," she said, smiling.

I felt in my pocket for my wallet. It wasn't there.

"Shi-" I began, then stopped myself. Remember, Percy, five year-olds, "Dang! I left my wallet on the coffee table. Annabeth?"

She rolled her eyes, and pulled out her credit card, "You're lucky," she warned.

"I'll pay you back as soon as we get back," I promised.

"You'd better," she warned, giving me a harsh look. Now I'll never forget my wallet again – Annabeth will give me that look again.

"Well, I think it's time to take you munchkins home," I said, getting up.

"Percy," Halley asked, giving me her sweetest look, "Can't we _please_ sleep over?"

"Yeah!" Reily added

"Maybe next time," I said, grabbing their hands.

"That's what you always say," Halley said, giving me a stare. Why am I getting so many stares today?

***

When I got back to my apartment, I grabbed my wallet and went over to Annabeth's.

"Hey Annabeth," I said, knocking on her door, "I'm here to pay you back!"

The door opened two seconds later, "Oh right," she said, "I forgot."

"Well, here's your money," I said, handing over a few bills.

She waved it back, "Keep it."

"But you said, 'you'd better'. Plus, I feel bad," I said, shoving the money at her.

"Don't feel bad. How about a compromise," she said, "You take me out for a friendly brunch tomorrow at a place of my choice."

"Deal. 11 AM?"

"Good," she said. She began to close the door, and then stopped, "And you'd better be on time, Seaweed Brain!"

Oh right, I forgot about the nicknames. Dang.

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**I'm sorry to say, but this might be my last update before I begin school – which means that my updates will be even slower. I'm so sorry, and I promise to do the best I can.**

**Anyways, I hope that you liked this chapter! Thanks so much for reading, and please review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! **


	8. Brunch With a Hunch

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter is very, very late! As you probably could have predicted, school took away all my writing time. **

**Anyways, just so we can all remember, here is what happened last:**

**Percy was baby-sitting his half-brother and sister, when he went over to Annabeth's house to retrieve the wallet he had left there. As a result, Annabeth ends up coming to dinner with Percy and his siblings. But Percy, being Percy, left his wallet at his house, which then forces Annabeth to pay for the meal. To pay Annabeth back, Percy's taking Annabeth out for brunch the next morning.**

**

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**

The first thing I saw when I woke up the next morning was the clock; it read: 10:45 AM.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I muttered to myself, instantly remembering my deal to pick Annabeth up for brunch at 11.

The last thing she said to me last night kept ringing in my head, _"And you'd better be on time, Seaweed Brain!"_

After desperately searching through my apartment, I was able to find a clean shirt and a pair of jeans I think I've only worn once or twice since their last wash. The landlord really needs to install a washer and dryer in the basement of this building, going to the Laundromat once a week requires _way _too much exertion of energy.

After triple checking that my wallet was in my back pocket, I scrambled out the door at 10:58 and ran across the hall to Annabeth's apartment and knocked on her door.

I heard her scream something along the lines of, "One minute!" before she swung the door open to greet me.

"Believe it or not," I said, fingering a loose thread on my shirt, "I'm on time. It's currently 10:58."

She looked like she was about to challenge me, but instead said, "Come on, let's go."

"So, it's your choice this morning," I said, once we exited the building, "Where do you want to eat?"

She brought her finger to her mouth to symbolize that she was thinking, "Oh! I know just the place."

"Is it close by? Am I going to like it?"

"Yeah, it's only a few blocks away," she answered, "And I'm _sure _that you're going to love it."

She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me along behind her. We walked in silence for a few moments, before I thought of something to say.

"So… any, uh, interesting dreams last night?"

She seemed to be slightly thrown off by the question, but only for a second because then she replied, "No, not really – well, not that I can recall, anyway." She glanced in the other direction, "How about you? Any dreams worth sharing?"

My dream from last night seemed hazy. Grover was in it, somehow, but I can't quite remember what was going on. Maybe it had something to do with a camp?

"No, not really. My friend Grover was in it," I said, looking up towards the sky, "But that's all I remember."

Annabeth merely nodded, "I read this book once," she said, giving me a slightly quizzical look, "About dreams. It said that they commonly reflect something that you're scared to admit. Do you think that's true?"

"Maybe, I don't know," I replied, checking my back pocket once more for my wallet, "I generally don't remember my dreams, so it's hard to say."

She seemed to think my reply over for a few seconds, before we suddenly stopped walking in front of Noodles. "Here we are!"

I stood still, dumbfounded, "Here? Noodles? _This _is where you wanted to go for breakfast?"

"Yup," she said, pulling on my sleeve, "Let's go inside."

"But-but," I said, still confused by her strange request, "We were here last night?"

"So? Why does that matter?" she asked, holding the door open for me to enter, "That was for dinner. Now this is breakfast, totally different meals. Besides, this place was _so _good last night, I was curious if it was really good for breakfast, as well."

We went inside, and the hostess looked at us curiously for a few seconds, almost like she recognized us from yesterday, "Table for two?"

Annabeth and I replied simultaneously, "Yes."

* * *

Annabeth stared down at her food, desperately trying (and failing) to hold back laughter.

"What's so funny?" I repeated. We were in the middle of a conversation when she burst out laughing, and still, a good five minutes later, had no clue what I said that was so hilarious.

"Seriously," she said, patting my lower arm, "It's just an old joke from college. Really, it's nothing."

"Well, it has to be something," I muttered to myself, although I don't think she heard me because she was busy trying to stop her hiccups.

The waitress appeared a few seconds later, "Is everything alright?" she asked, wearing a slightly amused expression.

"I'm not quite sure," I said, jokingly, "But I think we'd like a little more water." I pointed to our empty water glasses.

"Sure, I'll be right back with your waters."

"She likes you," said Annabeth, seconds after the waitress was out of sight.

"What?" I asked, "Why would you think that?" The waitress had seemed friendly, but that didn't mean that she _liked _me.

"A few reasons," she replied in an "all knowing" manner, "First: Whenever you're not looking, I always see her staring at you. Two: she's asked if everything is OK every few minutes, which shows she's trying to get your attention-"

Just then, as if on cue, the waitress returned carrying two glasses of water. She was wearing a big smile, and when she turned to leave she flipped her hair in a slightly seductive manner.

"See?" Annabeth replied, sitting back in against the booth with satisfaction.

"So?"

"You should go ask her out, or something," said Annabeth, crossing her arms, "You'd be cute together."

"Excuse me?" I replied, completely surprised, "Are you kidding?"

"She's attractive and obviously single, and so are you," she said, shrugging, "Why don't you ask her out?"

I was about to reply saying I had no interest at some random waitress at Noodles when I realized what Annabeth had said, "You think I'm attractive?"

Did _Annabeth Chase_ seriously just call me attractive? What does this mean?

Redness instantly rushed to her face, "I-I, I didn't-"

"You think I'm attractive," I said, satisfied.

"I never said that-"

"Oh," I replied, pointing at her, "But you did."

"You're still stupid."

"But hey, at least I'm pretty."

* * *

**A/N: So, here's the chapter! I hope that you liked it. Please, please, please review! Your reviews seriously make my day, and I'm very curious to hear what you think! **


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